Secrets
by alyloves2read
Summary: This story is about Toph and Aang learning a dangerous secret that takes them on a crazy adventure through all 4 nations, and through the path of true love. Takes place a few weeks after the war ends and starts with them in Ba Sing Se. TOTAL TAANG! Some Zutara here and there.
1. An Unusual Teardrop

**Hi there! I'm alyloves2read, and you may have read some of my other Taang fanfics, but if you haven't, be my guest! This is my story called "Secrets" which is basically about Toph and Aang learning a dangerous secret that takes them on a crazy adventure through all 4 nations, and through the path of true love. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters. I have simply created this fanfiction story for your entertainment and Taang needs. If I owned Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zutara, Taang and Sukka would definitely be the couples at the end of the series, so, clearly, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

Chapter 1: An Unusual Teardrop

He watched as she sprinted from branch to branch, her long white dress catching the wind as she jumped, almost as if flying, from tree to tree. She giggled as he chased her through the murky swamp, her laugh light as the tinkle of a bell. He had to catch her. The lipid light green pools in her eyes drew him to her like a moth bird to a flame. Her raven hair was picked up in a bun, with a white headband decorating it. The set of bangs framed her face perfectly, capturing the shape of her high cheekbones and her bright white smile.

This fantasy swiped Aang's attention from his Sifu's metalbending lesson. "Hellooooo. Earth to Twinkle Toes!" she called out trying to get his attention back.

Trapped in his daydream, he had not realized that his eyes were looking straight at a certain waterbender's behind when he had been caught staring into space.

Disgusted by the airbender's pervertedness, Toph clutched the steel in her hand and struck it against his tattooed skull. A dim light of blue flickered through his arrows, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he passed out.

She heard the thud of his knees hit the floor, and felt the vibrations as he sunk into the dirt, face first.

"Twinkle Toes? Come on, wimpy pants, get up. I didn't hit you that hard. Twinkles, seriously, stop messing with me. Aang? AANG?"

"What happened, Toph? What did you do to him this time? And NO EXCUSES." A stern Katara asked as she rode in on a trail of water.

"Well…"

"Well, what?"

"I was, um, doing my metalbending lesson, and, well, he wasn't paying attention, and I kinda sorta hit him on the head with my metal."

"You WHAT?"

"I was only doing it in the interest of learning, Sugar Queen."

"Oh yeah, sure, cuz knocking the lights out of him TOTALLY helped him learn."

"Is that all you got, Sweetness?"

"Fine, you want rough, I'll give you rough!"

"Bring it"

"Why'd you have to be such an aggressive idiot and hit him against the head with a FREAKING PIECE OF METAL?"

"Well if he were paying attention to my bending instead of your stupid big ass, I wouldn't have had to hit him!"

The girls continued fighting, and it soon became quite aggressive as they started throwing dirt and water at each other. After about ten minutes of pointless fighting, they were both covered in mud.

"Gosh, Toph, you're supposed to be blind, not retarded! And now he could be DEAD for all we know!"

The Sifu bowed her head in shame as she let out her very first tear. It rolled down her cheek, taking the trail by her bangs. It soon made it to her chin and dribbled down onto Aang's forehead arrow.

"If you're so smart, why don't you heal him" she choked, trying to get out a witty comment.

"Whoa."

"What, did I just blow your mind with my sarcastic awesomeness?"

The bright, neon blue light exploded out of his tattoo where the tear had landed. It continued on around his head, down his neck, across his spine and through his arms and legs.

"Is there something I can't see that you're not telling me is happening?"

"He glowed."

"He glowed? Like glowed like flickered glowed, or glowed like Avatar State glowed?"

"Avatar. Definitely Avatar."

"What did you do to him?"

"What did _I _do? What did _I _do? You must certainly be mistaken, because YOU were the one that cried on his face!"

"I wasn't crying. I just had water fall down my face that you soaked me with!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever keeps you sleeping at night."

"What happened?" a very confused Avatar groaned.

"AANGY! You're ALIVE!" Katara screeched, clutching his neck.

"Yay, you're alive, whoopdeedoo."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Toph"

"It's what I do" she said with a grin.

"So, like I said, what happened?"

"Well, Toph, your so-called best friend/Sifu wasn't very happy with you not paying attention to her lesson and hit you upside the head with the steel."

"Really, Toph?"

"Well what else could I do? You were too busy drooling over this bimbo's butt!"

"No I was-"

"Ah, ah, ah, no excuses!"

"So anyways, what happened after she hit me?"

"I wasn't there yet when that happened. So what did happen, Toph?"

"I felt you fall to the floor, and I felt a weird sensation coming from your body, like you lost all your energy."

"Didn't that happen with the Azula incident, Aang?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, so when that happened your lights flickered, and they went out"

"I think that happens when I die."

"Well then Twinkles, I think it's about time you stop dying."

"I'm rolling my eyes, Toph. So anyways… what happened after that?"

"We had a bit of a… disagreement"

"So I guess that explains the mud"

"Yeah, pretty much"

"Then Toph cried on your forehead and your tattoos started exploding lights, like Avatar State glowing."

"For your information, I was NOT crying"

"Sure you weren't, your eyes were just sweating"

"Seriously, Katara? You're more mature than THAT!"

"Sorry"

"So you cried on my forehead"

"And I glowed"

"But that's impossible… the monks said… but their not real…"

"What's impossible? What did the Monks say? What isn't real?"

"Spill them tea juices, Twinkles"

"You're sure it wasn't just Katara's healing water? Or, some other water?"

"Yup! Come on Toph, it seems important. Just tell him."

"Fine. I… I… I CRIED, OKAY? I FREAKING CRIED! I CRIED ON YOUR FOREHEAD WHEN KATARA SAID SOMETHING MEAN ABOUT MY BLINDNESS, AND I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE, AND I CRIED!"

"Katara!"

"I'm sorry, Toph."

"Don't sweat it, Sweetness. But if it happens again, I swear on Bumi's grave that I will shove a boulder down your throat."

"Anyways… Toph, you cried on my forehead?"

"Yeah"

"Toph, come with me. We need to talk, now."

**So, whatdya think? Interesting? Intriguing? Capturing? What was that tear, and how did it bring Aang back to life? Does Aang like Toph, (I mean for crying out loud, he's daydreaming about her!) or does he like Katara?**

**Please, review! I love reading what you liked, and what you think I should change! Did I capture the character's personalities well? Did I misspell some words? Did you not like it? . Well, that's what the review page is for! I promise this will not be a oneshot, or a forgotten project, just like so many other fanfics (I'm afraid to say, I'm guilty of this terrible crime). I promise I will have Chapter 2 posted by Friday! I 3 YOU! Hope you liked my story!**


	2. Fairytales and Reality

**Hello again, my wonderful readers! How does my story "Secrets" sound so far? I know the title isn't very original, but the entire story is based around a secret, so "Secrets" seemed like a fitting title. ANYWHO… (If you've ever watched My Wife and Kids, I love to quote Franklin), here's my second chapter called "Fairytales and Reality". I really hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters in this story. I can say that the secret and most things involved with the secret are mine originally, so if anyone wants to do a sequel or a spinoff of my story, you better ask me first or you can bet I'll sue your little unprofessional butt. THANKS!**

Chapter 2: Fairytales and Reality

Aang grabbed Toph by the arm and practically dragged her to a field nearby the Jasmine Dragon, where they had been training. He kept going persistently, and ignored Toph's questions and threats.

"I swear, Twinkles, if you're kidnapping me AGAIN, I will shove a boulder down your throat too!" Toph growled.

"I promise I'm not kidnapping you now. But depending on your answers to my questions, I may need to." Aang said in a serious tone, similar to the one he used with Ozai in their final Agni Kai.

"I think we're far away enough now, Twinkles."

"This seems far enough." Aang replied, already forming a rock tent around them.

"Okay, we're far away, surrounded by solid rock that's completely soundproof, so now I think its safe to ask- WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?" Toph screamed, serious and strict.

"Toph, have you ever read the fairytale 'The Girl with the Hidden Talent'?"

"I think I remember my parents reading a story like that once to me when I was little, but the book was so old and worn and tattered."

"That's because it was written by a monk that I was really close to pre-iceberg situation. So that was about 101 years ago, I remember because he told me that his inspiration for the story was me, the second I was born. He said something about having a vision when he saw me for the first time. Or at least that's what I remember."

"Oh, yeah! I remember that story perfectly now! It was- oh."

"Oh, what?"

"Nothing, Twinkles, don't worry about it."

"No, Toph, I need to worry about it. What was in that book that you're not telling me? You know I remember it perfectly clear, so you might as well spill now." Aang barked.

"Well, it was about a girl, who had a hidden talent."

"I think I can figure out that on my own, Toph."

"Ok, so this girl was an amazing earthbender, the best in the world. But, she had a disability, and people thought she was weak, but she was strong. Even when she was the best, she still had more to her that the world didn't know."

"And…?"

"Well, um, she… she was… uh…"

"SPILL IT, TOPH!"

"SHE WAS A MULTIBENDER! There, I said it. She was a multibender. She was a crazy good earthbender, but she was also an airbender."

"And what else could she do?"

"Well, there was this one time that her mother was very sick. And when her mom finally passed on to the Spirit World, she cried over her body, and suddenly, her mother was healed. They called it 'The Tear of the Fearless.'"

"So now do you see why I'm asking you this? I can connect the dots, Toph. Now, let me ask you. Are you a multibender?"

"Toph, answer me, right now. Are you a multibender?" Aang repeated with a more stern voice.

Toph had her hand behind her back as he questioned her, and when she put her had in front of Aang, there it was. An air current.

On the other hand, she was bending dirt into different shapes.

Aang was flung back in shock. Toph opened the door of the rock tent as he tumbled down the hill they were on. She picked him up with the air current in her hand and brought him back into the tent.

"So that means…"

"Yes, Aang. You're not alone. You're not the last. It's you and me. We're all that's left of the Air Nomads.

Suddenly, the tent closed from underneath them as they rose, and the tent began to spin in circles slowly. The tent went up until they were in the clouds, and then they went back down. The tent unfolded and they stood up.

"Aang, where are we? Everything looks the same, yet, different?"

"Toph. Welcome, to the Spirit World."

"What are we doing here?"

"I have no idea."

A tall man with a ghostly look appeared before them.

"Monk Gyatso? Is that you?"

"Aang!" the man shouted, running to grasp him in a tight hug.

"Kai-Lin!" Gyatso called, collecting Toph and adding her into the hug.

"Um, Monk Gyatso, sir? My name is not Kai-Lin. It's Toph." She said, trying to be as calm as possible. All this was getting to be too much for the young earth/airbender.

"Oh, yes, right, Toph! My greatest apologies. I called you Kai-Lin because that's your character's name in the story."

"Wait, so you know who I am? I mean, you recognize me? But you passed on here long before I was born!"

"While that may be true, Aang here was completely correct. When I held him in my arms when he was born, I saw a vision. A vision, of the girl with the hidden talent. Of Kai-Lin. Of, well, you. I saw you, jumping from tree to tree in a swamp, in a long white dress that caught the wind, but I knew that wasn't why you appeared to be flying. You didn't just appear to be flying, you WERE flying. After that vision, I had another one which was pretty much a fast forward version of everything you've accomplished. By the way, I'm a big fan of your metal bending."

"Well, thank you. That sounds kind of familiar. Wait a second! I had a dream about that once. Just nights before Aang took me away from home to mentor him. How could I have forgotten that? I was in a swamp, with a winged boar, and I was jumping from tree to tree. Running away from… wait a second, that was YOU! I was running away from YOU, AANG! He was chasing me, and I just couldn't stop laughing! After a while, I woke up and found myself floating in the air, laughing. That's when… that's when I found out I was, when I was Kai-Lin, I guess."

"So, Monk Gyatso, how do we get out of the Spirit World?" Aang questioned, puzzled.

"Twinkle Toes, silly, haven't you read the story? Once the girl's best friend finds out, they're sent to the spirit world and they… they both get stuck in the Spirit World until they can find the Spirit of the Avatar."

"Greaaatttttttttt…" they both sighed simultaneously.

"So, Gyatso, we're, stuck here?"

"I'm afraid so, Kai- Lin, I'm afraid so."

**So, whatdya think? Very eventful chapter, wasn't it? Did you see that coming? Of course you didn't! You had no idea! MUAHAHAHAHA! What will the rest of the Gaang do when they find out that Toph and Aang are missing? How did Gyatso know? What will they do? What will happen next? Find out in Chapter 3, coming soon to a store near you.**

**I would like to thank RORI-72, sol and Hoenheim for being the first 3 reviewers! Keep reviewing, and stay tuned, because if I wrote this whole chapter in an hour, you could be expecting VERY quick updates! Until then, my readers.**


	3. Air Travels

**Hiya everybody! This is a new chapter called "Air Travels". Well, I don't really know what to put here, so I'll just write that little disclaimer and then you can begin reading the story and stop reading all this foolishness.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters in this story, except for one that you will meet right now. *Spoiler Alert* (Her name is Yip Yip) and I have all rights to this character. **

Chapter 3: Air Travels

"So Monk Gyatso, in your story, we had to meet with Avatar Roku?" Aang asked.

"That would be correct" the Monk replied.

"But Twinkles, how are we supposed to get to him? Did you forget that we're in the Earth Kingdom and he's in the Fire Nation, and the fact that we have no bison?"

"That's not entirely true, Toph"

"But that's impossible!"

"Toph, do you remember that turtle island that I told you about? The one that taught me how to energy bend, or take away bending?"

"Yeah. Geez, Twinkles, how could I forget? You went on about him for days!"

"Well, that particular lion turtle taught me more than just how to energy bend"

"What else could he have taught you? He's a LION TURTLE."

"He taught me how to bend objects and animals into the Spirit World. So far only Appa and my glider have made it past sundown."

"What happens after sundown?" Toph asked.

"Well, if you bring something into the Spirit World intentionally, then that means it can leave. So, if anything stays that can leave, after sundown, it's trapped forever and its live body is killed."

"Wow. Harsh. Well, we better get to Appa fast because we need to get to Gaoling as soon as possible."

"What did you leave in Gaoling that could be so important now, Toph? If you want to have a family reunion, now's not the time. The others will eventually figure out that we're gone, you know."

"I don't need a family reunion. If you haven't noticed, I'm still blind, and as long as I can't see, they're never going to give me freedom." Toph barked.

"So what to do you need, Toph?"

"My glider" she mumbled.

"Wow, I can't imagine being away from my glider for an hour, let alone a whole year!" Aang exclaimed.

"Well, what else could I have done? I couldn't take it with me."

"How do you ride anyways? Not to be rude or anything, but, like you said, you're blind." Aang questioned.

"Oh that's simple. So you know how clouds reflect light?"

"Yeah."

"Well, my eyes may not be able to see figures, but when I'm in the air, I can see light. The light basically tells me where the rock formation is, and what type it is. The clouds are basically my map to what's below me, just like the rock is when I'm earthbending."

"Whoa. Complex. Well, what are we doing standing here talking about it? I want to see it in action!"

"Well, it seems that a certain little Avatar has forgotten something!" Gyatso interrupted.

"Wha- what? I wasn't gonna forget you, Monk Gyatso! How could I? I haven't seen you in 101 years! I'm not letting you slip through my fingers this time."

"Whatever do you mean, Aang? What are you going to do to me?"

"Well, Monk Gyatso, sir, if it's okay with you, I want to ask, would you like to come with us?"

He apologized and declined his offer and said his goodbyes. He left a copy of the book with them and wished them good luck. With a click of his glider, he was gone.

"Bye, Monk Gyatso!" the two shouted into the distance.

"So, now to Appa?" Aang offered, holding out his hand to Toph.

"Sounds good to me!" Toph accepted, clutching his hand and jumping up into the branches.

Ten minutes later, they had arrived at the village. Aang walked up to the giant bison pen across from the Jasmine Dragon.

When he reached his loyal companion, he placed his right thumb on Appa's forehead, and the other one on his paw. He then started to chant some strange gibberish and suddenly Appa was no longer faded like the rest of the world that was not in Spirit World Form.

Aang and Toph floated up, holding hands once more. When Aang reached for the reins, they both realized that they were still holding hands and released, both turning deep shades of pink.

"Gaoling's that way, right?" Aang asked.

"You're really asking me that question?"

"Oh, right" he sighed.

"Just messing with you. Make a left and straight on for 12 kilometers." She responded, pointing to her left.

After about an hour, Appa landed in front of a depressingly familiar house.

"Home." She whispered.

"Let's go!" Aang shouted.

"Shhh! Have you never been here before? This place is locked down more than the old prison in the VOLCANO!"

"Toph, we're in the Spirit World. No one can see us or hear us."

"Oh, right" she said, punching him in the arm, knocking him off Appa.

"Toph?" he yelped, catching himself with an air scooter.

"Sorry, Twinkle Toes."

"Let's just go already. Where's your glider?"

"Over there." She said, pointing at a small barn.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"YIP YIP!" she yelped running towards the barn.

"APPA! DOWN, BOY!"

The giant bison landed as quickly as he went up in the air.

"TOPH!" he screamed, following her.

"Yip Yip!" she said under her breath, stroking a majestic, yet slightly improper creature, like herself.

"What the…"

"Aang, I would like to introduce you to my pet badgermole, Yip Yip."

"Good, girl, Yip Yip, that's a good girl."

"She can't hear you, smart one, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right."

"Well, I'll need you to bring it along with its hook into Spirit form."

"Okay, where is it?"

"It's on her collar."

"Her… oh, I see it. Now let me just… Ahh!" Aang screeched as the badgermole licked his face.

"Yeah, before, I was joking. She can hear you. And feel you. And smell you. And apparently taste you."

"But, how?"

"She's blind, but she still has 5 senses that work. She can sense the Spirit World."

"Whoa. Never seen that before."

"Yup. I wish she could come with us. I've missed her so much!"

"She-"

"I know she can't come. She can't fly, and Appa won't be able to carry her weight."

"I'm sorry, Toph."

"It's okay, I'll come back for her once we're out of this Spirit World situation."

Toph unhooked the glider from her collar. She tossed it to Aang and gave Yip Yip one last hug. She let the badgermole sniff her all over to remember her scent.

"Bye, Yip Yip. I'll come back for you, I swear." She whispered into her ear.

Toph grabbed her glider and turned away, allowing a tear to be shed over her companion.

"Let's go, Toph."

He pushed her up onto Appa's saddle and she rested her head on his lap as they flew to the Fire Nation, in search for a way out of this ghostly Spirit World.

**So, whatdya think? Did you like the inserts of Taang? How about the Appa and Yip Yip thing? Who's gonna miss Monk Gyatso? Will the Gaang find out they're gone? Will they find Roku? Will they ever get out of the Spirit World? All this and more next update!**

**I would like to give a shoutout to RORI-72 and sol again for reviewing, and also to Misleading Potato and Noname, I guess. :/ Well anyways, I hope you liked this chapter and will keep reading! **


	4. Missing

**Hey! What's up? Same here, except I'm writing the chapter while you're reading it. HAHA! I made a funny . So anyways, this chapter is called Missing, and I think you know why. Like I promised, MAJOR ZUTARA! Oh and I'm starting this new thing that my friend does, and its called "Song of the Update" (SOTU). I'm basically just going to write a song that I think fits the mood of this chapter, and you can play it while you read it! Neat, huh? **

**Today's SOTU- Clocks by Coldplay.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of these characters, but if I could pick one to be for a day, it would TOTALLY be Toph. Who thinks that they should make a section of Universal Studios in Orlando JUST for Avatar? That would be AWESOME! Okay, I am boring you with all my hopes and dreams that will never happen, so I'll just begin the chapter now. **

Chapter 4- Missing

Katara stood alone, watching as the man of her dreams ran off holding the hand of the girl she just fought with. She desperately wanted to use the puddle of water on the ground to claim her man. She held back though, because like she herself said before, this seemed important to him.

She turned to the Jasmine Dragon and opened the door to find Zuko leaning against the doorway acting cool.

"Trying to impress me, Zuko?"

"In your dreams, Princess, I'm waiting for Mai."

"Zuko, can't we just come to a truce? This pointless bickering has been going on for WAY too long!"

"But come on! It's fun. Admit it, you LIKE me!"

"I do NOT!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

Katara leaned in and closed off the fight with a passionate, warm kiss. Zuko was caught in complete surprise, but soon leaned in as well and took the kiss to a more intense level.

Of course, their timing was terrible, and the second the kiss became a heated make out, the bell of the door rang and in walked Mai.

She stood there in utter shock, waiting for them to notice that she walked in. When they didn't, she walked up to him, pried Katara's arms off of Zuko's neck, and let herself have a try.

Mai skipped the whole "start out slow" part and went straight to the make out, letting her tongue fill his already warm mouth. After they released for air, she smacked him clean on the cheek.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that, Zuko, cuz now, you'll never kiss me again."

She turned to Katara.

"I thought we were friends." She whispered and stormed out of the tea shop, her face buried in her hands, and her dress was already wet with tears.

"I feel kinda bad. I was going to break up with her tonight anyways."

"Why? You guys are so good together!"

"It didn't seem like you thought that when you were all over me."

"I… I…" she stammered.

"You can't deny it, princess. If you haven't noticed, we already made out."

"Oh, shut up, Fire Boy." She whispered pushing him into a corner and continuing where she had left off.

Somewhere in the background, the song Clocks by Coldplay was playing. A perfect song to set the mood.

Katara completely forgot about Aang, and all that existed was her and Zuko.

Zuko released, and closed both the shutters on the windows and lit two of the torches on the wall. The dim light and the music were pure perfection. He imitated his partner and cornered her to continue what he had been dying to do for months.

-**This is a line break! **_**A what? **_**A line break!**_** A what? **_**A line break! **_**Oh, a line break!-**_

In the meantime, Sokka and Suki were doing something similar, when Sokka decided to go check up on his sister. He checked her room, and then went around the Village Square looking for her. Both searches were unsuccessful so he went to where Aang and Toph were training to ask if they'd seen her. When he went to their training area, there was no one there.

He began to pace around in fear, afraid that they had all been captured. He suddenly remembered that the tea shop existed, so he ran until he reached the door. _Zuko's on a date with Mai in there. Do NOT want to be in there. _He noted to himself. He jumped up the awnings on the inn next door until he reached the second floor of the tea shop. He swung the wooden windows open and shouted "KATARA! AANG! TOPH!"

In his relief, he heard footsteps coming towards him. _Good, they're here. Not with Combustion Man or Ozai, just here, having a sip of tea with old Iroh. _He thought.

He walked towards the source of the footsteps and bumped into the big gut of Uncle Iroh.

"Hello there, handsome stranger." Iroh complimented.

"Very funny, Uncle. So, where's Katara? And the others?" Sokka questioned.

"Well, Katara's downstairs with Zuko, and Toph and Aang ran out into the field and suddenly fell out of nowhere. They haven't gotten up since."

"Oh, no." Sokka mumbled.

"What is it, Sokka?"

"My sister's in there alone with ZUKO?"

"I think you should be more concerned with your friends who may be hurt. Your sister is quite a young woman, and she can take care of herself, even if she was there when Zuko broke up with Mai."

"Sorry, Iroh, great discussion, but I've gotta go take care of Tweedledee and Tweedledum over there" he commented, pointing his thumb to the field below them.

"Do what you must do, Sokka. Unless it involves painting me fatter than I really am!"

"Bye, Iroh!" he shouted, crawling out the window.

The fact that he was on the second story of a building had not occurred to him, and he fell down, and hit the ground hard.

Luckily, he was able to land in a cannonball position and was unharmed, and ran towards the field.

"AANG!TOPH! WAKE UP!" he shouted, sprinting to the crumpled figures.

He leaped over ant piles and hills, rushing to get to his hurt friends. When he reached them, he was stopped in shock.

He knew the second he saw them that they were alive, but they weren't waking up anytime soon. He bent over and slung their bodies over his shoulders when suddenly, a flashback played in his mind of a giant black and white monster and a panda.

"The Spirit World" he whispered.

**So, whatdya think? Sorry for the long wait and short chapter, but did you like the Zutara? How about Iroh? Isn't he hilarious? Well, review away, and I am SOOO SORRY for the delay. Just give me a date, and my next chapter will be up by then. Okay, so until next time, my readers!**


	5. The Cave

**Hello there, my fellow readers! How did you like my last chapter? I know, right? I loved it. So anyways, this is Chapter 5 and it's called The Cave. Remind you of anything? Hmmm? Well, if it doesn't, read to find out, and if it does, well, you should still read anyways! This so far is my favorite chapter of this entire story. After finishing off Chapter 4 this morning, I could NOT wait to write Chapter 5! You could say my writer's block is gone xD and I'm sooo happy that it is. Well, like last time, there is another SOTU (Song of the Update, for those of you who don't remember.) **

**SOTU- Can You Feel The Love Tonight-Lion King (you may also like the original version by Elton John.) I know it's kind of corny, but I'm OBSESSED WITH DISNEY! And as I wrote the chapter, the song was stuck in my head and I thought ~_What a perfect background song!~_. So, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and seriously, you should play the song while reading it. It gives so much effect to the story! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or the song above ^ or anything else involved with this chapter except the storyline. **

**Oh, and one more thing. This chapter is VERY long, so I hope it makes up for last chapter. ENJOY!**

Chapter 5- The Cave

After about 20 minutes, Aang continued to steer Appa with Toph rested on his lap. The bison had remembered the way to the temple from the last time, so Aang took Toph to the saddle and cuddled up together, they fell asleep.

When they awoke, Appa had already landed near Omashu, and they were near the Cave of Two Lovers, like Aang had been so long ago. Katara kissed him for the first time here. Then, on the balcony a few weeks ago after the war ended. And now, remembering those kisses, they didn't seem as magical as they did when they happened.

"Twinkles, where are we?" Toph yawned as she stretched her arms, as if reaching to the clouds.

"We're outside of Omashu. I don't really know why Appa stopped here. He should have just landed in Omashu. Now the only way to get in the city from here is through the Cave of Two Lovers. I can bring some food in so we won't be so hungry."

Somewhere in the distance, a guitar strummed and Aang heard it.

"Is that the Nomads?"

"What nomads, Twinkle Toes?"

"We met them before we met you. We were on our way to meet with Bumi."

"Bumi? As in super crazy, super awesome Bumi?"

"Yeah! When we got there, we had to rescue him, and Sokka got 'pentapox'."

"Pentapox? Isn't that a fake disease that the Resistance made up to… oh…"

"Yeah, that was us."

"So there is something going on in that messed up brain of Sokka's."

"Okay, well I think we're going to have to go through the cave." Aang interrupted. "Appa can't fly over, he's been flying all night."

"Well make it snappy, Twinkles, I'm starving!"

"There's that guitar again! Man, I wish I could talk to them."

"Sorry, maybe next time, when we're NOT trapped in the Spirit World?"

"Fine, let's go."

Aang led the way to the cave.

"Well, this is it."

"Curse? What curse, Twinkles, what curse?" she gasped as she felt the message carved into the rock entrance.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine, we just need to have trust and love."

"Or we can have earthbenders who can see the way to the exit with their feet" she said, stomping to find the shortest way out.

"That's weird. I can't see anything."

"Just hold my hand so you don't get lost. It probably won't matter to you because you can't see it, but it's totally dark in here. That's the only way that we can see the crystals that lead us out of here."

Toph willingly clasped her hand with his, and began to ease her way into the cave. Aang looked up to find the crystals, but he couldn't find any.

"Where are they? What happened to the crystals?"

"What's the problem now, Twinkle Toes?"

"The crystals. They're…. gone?"

"Gone? So the all knowing Avatar doesn't 'know all', does he?"

"I could do without your sarcasm right now, Toph. Now let's see…"

"Didn't you say that you and Katara kissed and the crystals were revealed?"

"Yeah, but that's not-" Aang's sentence was cut off by Toph pushing him against a very tall stalagmite, pressing her lips against his. After a few seconds, the crystals began to glow. Once they released their magical kiss, they both whispered in shock.

"Whoa."

"Strictly business, Twinkle Toes. Now, let's get out of this cave. I think the crystals are glowing, so just lead me to the exit."

He grasped her hand once more and they walked out of the Cave of Two Lovers, hand in hand, both their heads turned away from each other as they felt their lips, wondering how that kiss could have been so perfect.

After a few minutes, they heard a grumbling coming from the walls. In fear, they hopped on Appa's saddle and peered through the hole to see what it was. It seemed as if there was something inside the rocks, coming closer to them. Toph reached over the saddle to touch the wall.

"Its, a, badgermole." She whispered as one by one, tears began to stream down her luminescent ivory cheeks. She flung her arms around Aang and stuffed her face through the sleeve in his shoulder.

Suddenly, a few drops of bravery streamed through him, and he pulled her face off of his shoulder, wiped away her tears, and meeting his lips with hers. He grabbed her waist and pulled her up on his lap as they continued to kiss and connect with each other in a way that neither of them had ever had with anyone else before in their lives.

In his mind, Aang played over the times that he had kissed Katara, and realize how meaningless those had been. _How could that kiss have rescued us from this cave? _He asked himself. Then, he remembered that he had a real, true love's kiss going on outside his mind, and in real life. He squeezed Toph close, and embraced with her in a way that Katara never could with him.

In Toph's head, she began to think of all the times she had pelted boulders at him, shot him into the sky by jutting a rock into him, flung disgusting little boogers at him when he was boring her. _And after all that, he's still right here, kissing me, making it seem as if he loved it when I did all those terrible things. _But she ignored her conscience as she felt the badgermole again.

She began to cry subtly as the hot, salty tears trickled down her face once again. When Aang realized that she was crying again, he decided to tickle her tears away. He moved the kiss from her lips down to her neck and then STRIKE! He started tickling her stomach and she giggled uncontrollably even though the tears continued their trail down her face.

"Aang, please, stop it, it's too much!" she gasped as he continued to tickle her stomach and then moved down to her most sensitive spot.

"Oh, no, oh, no you don't. I don't care HOW amazing that kiss was, if you tickle me down there I will-"

She was interrupted by little nimble fingers tickling her feet and she screamed in sensitivity.

"AANG STOP IT! HAHA, STOP IT! ITS- HAHAHA, HAHAHA, STOP IT!" she shouted. All the while, Aang was reminiscing her giggle in the vision, and thinking about it now. He stopped for just a quick moment to think when Toph struck her revenge and pounced on him like a cheetah-leopard. She raised his shawl and pulled it off as she began to dig her fingers into his well muscled stomach.

In a counter attack, Aang rolled on top of her from under her and began to tickle her neck. They tumbled and rolled around the saddle until Toph was on top of him, holding on to his shirtless chest as they panted, trying to regain their breath from all the laughter.

Feeling his strong muscles, she couldn't resist her temptation and began to kiss him again. Aang kissed back for a moment until he saw a dim light in the distance.

"Toph, we're almost there, we need to stop!" he shouted in between kisses.

"Toph, seriously, how do you think it will look if we leave the Cave of Two Lovers, making out, and having one of us shirtless?" he said, gently prying the now lovely multibender from his chest.

"They can't even see us! Oh well, I guess you're right." She replied, giving him one last kiss and then giving him his shawl back.

They sat up straight, holding hands as the exit of the cave appeared in front of them. Appa walked out of the cave and they both floated off of his back.

"Now Appa, you stay here and get some sleep while we go into town. " Aang whispered.

In no objection, the giant bison plopped down on the hard earth as the two grabbed their gliders, clicked them against the rock and shouted- "RACE YA!" as they both flew into the town, side by side, as two lovers should always be.

**So, whatdya think? MAJOR TAANG ACTION, HUH? I fell in love with this chapter when I wrote it. I swear! SO… I really wanna write Chapter 6, so I guess today must be your lucky day. 3 updates in one day? I know, I must be insane. Well, here's a little secret (I am! HEHEHEEHEE! Bumi is my great, great, great, great, great, great, GREAT, grandfather.) So anyways, I hope you liked the chapter! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Please, if you have any suggestions for what should happen in the story, PM me and I'll consider putting them in the story. (If you're going to do this, I really could use some assistance with the real world scenario with the Gaang searching for them. THANKS!)**


	6. New Discoveries and Old Friends

**Hello, there! I am so happy you're reading this! I'm SOOOO SORRY for the delay, and I'm glad so many of you like my story! Can you BELIEVE I got 900 hits in one month? That's crazy! Once again, I am boring you, when I should be entertaining you with my story, so I'll just get through the SOTU and disclaimer as quickly as possible.**

**SOTU: The Scientist- Coldplay, but I don't suggest listening to this while you're reading the chapter, its just a song that I like. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now, stop reading this and get to the story!**

Chapter 6- New Discoveries and Old Friends

Sokka, with the two bodies slung across his shoulders, trotted towards the Tea Shop, thinking frantically of what he would do, and how the others would react. He swung open the door of the Tea Shop to find Zuko and Katara sitting on a blanket in a corner, sipping tea with their legs crossed and tangled in the web of an unexpected love.

"Oh hey Sokka! Why are you carrying Aang and Toph? What happened? Oh, no, don't tell me Aang died AGAIN! That's the second time today! Oh, no, what kind of disgusting monster am I to let this happen?" Katara panted, freeing her legs and curling herself into a ball, beginning to sob.

"Don't worry, Katara, relax, everything is fine, perfect even. Well, maybe not perfect, but, oh, whatever! Stop distracting me!" Sokka shouted, laying his friends down on the floor.

Of course, his shouting only made her cry more.

"Katara! Stop crying, and let me tell you what happened."

"What's going on down here? Is someone crying for more tea?" a concerned Iroh asked, walking down the stairs with Suki who probably came while Sokka was in the field.

"Would everyone PLEASE CALM DOWN? I'm trying to tell a story, here!" Sokka exclaimed.

Everyone gathered around on the blanket, each holding mugs of their favorite tea.

"So, Iroh told me that he had seen them fall down in the field, on top of an unfolded rock tent. So, me, being Super Sokka with my boomerang, ran to the rescue to find them lying on the ground. Their hearts are hardly beating and they're not really breathing as much as normal, kind of like when animals hibernate. So, I freaked out and reached over to go grab them. But when I touched them, I had a vision of a giant panda and a black and white monster and I realized…"

"Realized what, Sokka?" Katara asked immediately.

"CAN'T YOU LET ME HAVE MY DRAMATIC PAUSE?" Sokka yelled in response.

"Well then, Mr. Big Shot, have your pause." Katara snapped back.

"So anyways, I realized, The Spirit World. Then I ran over here and I walked in and saw you two on the blanket drinking tea and then Katara said 'Oh hey, Sokka! Why are you carrying Toph and Aang?' and I was all like 'Calm down, stop crying!' and then Iroh came in and said-"

"We get it, Sokka." Zuko interrupted, attempting to put an end to Sokka's blabbering.

"Okay, so we know that they're trapped in the Spirit World. We don't know why, or how, it happened. We have no idea if they have traveled in the Spirit World, so they could be anywhere. Now what?" Suki asked.

"Well, we could try to go back to that forest place that Sokka got trapped in the Spirit World at. Maybe that panda spirit could help us find them!" Katara suggested, a bit perkier than before with the new knowledge that they were not dead.

"That's a good idea. But, we could also try to go to Avatar spirit sightings. We might be able to find a past Avatar who could help us!" Sokka offered.

"The only problem is if we do that, then we can get trapped in the Spirit World ourselves. We need to find a way to track them down without getting into the Spirit World." Suki said.

"Nyla." Iroh and Zuko simultaneously uttered.

"Nyla? Who's Nyla? " Sokka questioned.

"Nyla is a shirshu. She's blind, so she sees with her nose. Not many people know this, but shirshus can also see into the Spirit World." Zuko explained.

"Wait a second. Isn't Nyla the one that we had to attack with perfume? And isn't her owner named June?" Katara said.

"Precisely. " Iroh responded.

"We need to find Nyla." Suki announced strictly.

"Well, I don't know where June or Nyla are, but I do know someone who might."

"Who, Zuko?" Katara asked.

"Azula."

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_**Back in the Spirit World:**_

"So, Twinkles, what should we eat? It shouldn't be something that can spoil easily, or that will stink." Toph said, pinching her nose as they passed a fish market.

"Well, we've got lots of options. Omashu may have been hit, but it bounced right back. I've never seen a city recover so quickly."

"I've never seen a city recover ever. Or seen in general." Toph smirked, and then laughed at her disability.

"Well then, Toph, I think we should go find food. I am STARVING!" Aang shouted, patting his empty stomach.

"Oh my Heavens! Is that… apple pie? I haven't had apple pie since I was a little girl!" she yelled, running towards the source of the delicious smell.

Aang smiled, watching as Toph's face lit up at the sight of such a simple pastry. Every day, he discovered a different part of her. Today, it was her youthful side. And this side was one that made him feel 13 rather than 113. She came back to him and yanked his arm towards the small, slightly damaged cart.

"Two apple pies to go?" Aang asked.

"How about ten? " She exclaimed, jumping up and down, waiting desperately for him to get her a delicious treat.

As he held one thumb to each side of the box, Toph skipped to the cart with cans of her favorite soups and sniffed each individual one, trying to decide which was which.

"Mmmm, tomato. French onion. Chicken noodle! Hey, what's this?" she asked, continually smelling a can that smelled suspiciously sweet. She sniffed and whiffed, sending the amazing scent from her nostrils to her brain to recognize what it was.

"Hey, Toph. Umm, what are you doing?" he asked, slightly uncomfortable watching Toph continue to smell a can.

"I'm trying to see what's in this can! There's cans with tomato soup, and chicken noodle soup, and even miso soup! But I just can't seem to figure out what this is! It's sweet, and thick, and rich, it's so good! I just can't quite put my finger on it…" she responded, pondering the contents of that particular can.

"Well of course you can't put your finger on it. We're in the Spirit World!" Aang said jokingly, only to get a puzzled look from Toph.

"Haha, Twinkle Toes, very funny. Did you get the pie?"

"Yes, sir! I mean, ma'am. I mean…"

"Don't sweat it, Twinkle Toes! Calm down, I was just asking a question. Okay, I give up. Aang, please tell me, what the spirits is inside this can?" she growled, frustrated.

"Its… sweetened condensed milk."

"What's that?"

"Wait a second, hold on, Toph, Miss Toph Bei Fong, doesn't know what sweetened condensed milk is?"

"Not a single clue."

"Well then, my friend, you have not LIVED! I have to get some." Aang licked his lips as he brought the cans through to the Spirit World. 4 of each soup, some corn, and all of the milk. He stuffed it in the basket, and they both went to the end of town with their delectable meals for two.

**So, readers, whatdya think? Did you like it? Did I surprise you? I think this chapter was somewhat uneventful, but at least it was entertaining! Did anyone recognize Nyla and June? They were the episode "Bato of the Water Tribe". Quite a classic. Did you know that you can see EVERY episode of the show on Nicktoons online for free? I seriously wish I had that information earlier! Well, as always, review, and stay tuned, because Chapter 7 is coming your way! Okay, that was kind of cheesy, but, it is still good news! And I really want to hear your opinion, so be completely honest. Ready, Set, REVIEW!**


	7. Forgetful

**Hey there, readers! If you're still reading this, I am very happy that you aren't too mad at me for not updating. I haven't had time or a computer for like 3 weeks. So, I'm very sorry for that. I also want to say if you didn't recognize Nyla and June from the last chapter, they are that gothish girl and that really big animal that only smells. Anyways, this is Chapter 7, and it's called Forgetful. I really hope you like it. I worked really hard on it. So, here you go!**

**SOTU: I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz (btw, I don't suggest listening to it while reading, I just really like that song)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters in this chapter.**

Chapter 7- Forgetful

"Appa, Yip, Yip!" Aang commanded, and immediately the giant sky bison grunted and took off in flight.

"Well, it looks like it could be a couple of days before we get to the Temple, so maybe we should eat and travel during the day, and rest at night, and then we could-"

"Shut your yap and grab a can, Twinkle Toes. I'm not going to deal with you complaining that you couldn't eat because I refused to steer." Toph snapped, obviously out of her happy, youthful mood.

"Wait, I want you to have some milk! Trust me, the face of someone trying this stuff for the first time is absolutely hilarious!" Aang smirked, cracking open a can and taking a deep whiff of the smooth, sweet treat.

"Alright, fine, but I seriously hope Appa doesn't take us to some other maze of a cave." She commented and crawled over to Aang. She snatched a can from the basket along with a slice of pie.

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"AZULA!" the remains of the Gaang shouted, all with looks of both confusion and fear in their eyes.

"Well, she's our only hope at finding June or Nyla. And if we don't hurry, they may be stuck in the Spirit World forever" Zuko replied, jumping up, already bolting to the door.

"Wait, hold on Zuko. Did you forget the fact that Azula is a mentally unstable CANNIBAL?!" Suki reminded him.

"Cannibal? Since when is she a cannibal? And how did you find out?" Sokka asked, questioning Suki's whereabouts when she claims to be 'powdering her nose'.

"Oh, well when I was in Kyoshi, someone from the Fire Nation messaged me to thank you guys for stopping Azula, and that the cannibalistic lunatic was now behind bars, and that Aang was supposed to come to take her bending too, but I guess I kind of forgot to tell you guys. Sorry!" Suki answered, looking from side to side, feeling the stares of her friends boring into her skull.

"Oh, great, so she's still bending?! Now this is going to be IMPOSSIBLE! Not that it's your fault…" Sokka whispered, leaning to cuddle his girlfriend to make sure she wasn't mad at him. He winced as she softly patted his face, expecting a cold, hard, smack that was never given.

"We've got to get going. Quick! Oh, poor Aang, stuck in the Spirit World where Toph can insult him and torment him and he can't do a single thing about it! Oh, this is just TERRIBLE!" Katara shrieked, and suddenly, a hard wave of Aangst attacked her as she suddenly remembered she had been in love with him.

She quickly wiped her mouth with her wrist, trying to erase any interaction that she and Zuko had. How could she have been such a horrible person! She loved Aang, and he knew it so he loved her even more! She tried to mentally blame it on Zuko, but then she realized that it was HER who had made the first move. The guilty girl buried her face in her hands as she cried once more, feeling the pain of guilt flow through her, from her heart to her tears.

"Would you like me to accompany you on this journey? I am the only person in the entire world who knows how to make Azula's favorite tea. She always calms down with my tea. So, may I?" Iroh offered.

"Of course you can, Uncle, but we need to get going. NOW." Zuko ordered.

The Gaang spread out, grabbing materials from here and there to prepare themselves for this intense journey.

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Toph slowly brought the can to her full lips and took a hesitant sip.

"Oh. My. SPIRITS! This is the best stuff I have ever tasted in my LIFE!" she shrieked, chugging down the can and savoring every drop.

"Wait! Slow down! Here, give me the can." Aang cooed, taking the can from her hand and held it tightly in his. Little by little, the can began to turn a light red color.

"There you go. It tastes really good when it's warm." Aang commented with a swig of his can.

"Wow. This is amazing! Give me that packet of tea." Toph ordered, pointing to the plastic packet holding a little bag of herbs that could not compare to Uncle's tea.

"Wait, Toph, that's not-"

But it was too late. She grabbed it, dunked it in her milk, and took a long slurp. The intense levels of chamomile in the tea relaxed her every muscle, and suddenly, she fell asleep.

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Everyone met up in front of Appa's pen with supplies to last them a few days. Sokka held a map, a compass, his belongings, and of course, his ego. He ordered everyone to pile into the pen.

"Appa, buddy, wake up! We're going to save Toph and Aang! Appa? APPA!" Sokka shouted into the humongous ear of the bison.

He grasped Appa's horn and the flashback replayed in his brain.

"No use. Aang took him. But I think I have another idea! Follow me, everyone!" Sokka commanded.

He led everyone to the train station, and asked the man for a private train for the Gaang. After 3 short minutes, a first class train stood before them and they all jumped in.

"So where are you folks off to?" the conductor asked.

"I don't suppose you could take us to the Boiling Rock Prison, could you?" Sokka asked.

"Nope, sorry. That territory is strictly off limits for trains."

"Nice job, Boomerbrain! Now what are we going to do?" Katara snapped.

"Jeez, Katara, control your hormones! You're acting like you just had a make out session!" Sokka contorted.

Zuko and Katara looked at each other in silence and then Katara began to sob.

"Could you take us to Umatoka City? The new industrial place."

"Umatoka City? Wow, I didn't think that anyone actually knew of the place! Sure, no problem!" the conductor chirped, darting to the control room of the train.

"ALL ABOARD! TO UMATOKA CITY!" He tooted the whistle and off they went, chugachugging to Umatoka City.

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Hours after Toph's nap, she woke up and yawned, stretching her arms towards the clouds. She sat up with a puzzled look on her face. She looked down at the can of milk in her hand, and without questioning it, took a sip.

"Hey Toph, you're awake! You've got a milkstache!" Aang said, giggling. "I'll get it." He released the reins and crawled over to Toph in the back of the saddle. He leaned in and kissed her, cleaning off the stache.

"AANG!" Toph shouted, slapping him across the face. "What the heck is wrong with you?! What, are you trying to get some training brownie points? Is that why you kiss Katara too?! Hmm? Tell me Aang, I am so curious! Do you find pleasure in messing with my brain?!"

"No! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! You kissed ME in the cave! SEVERAL TIMES! We had a tickle war! You felt my abs, and you know you liked it!"

"And when did that happen? I don't remember it! I don't even remember getting on Appa! Or getting him into the Spirit World! What is happening?"

"Oh…." Aang whispered, realizing what happened.

"What? What are you 'oh….ing' about?"

"Okay Toph, so you remember seeing Gyatso, and the story and all, right?"

"Of course I do, Arrow Head!"

"But you don't remember him leaving, right?"

"No."

"I get it now. We've been in the Spirit World for a whole day. The sun's going down. So you're forgetting things. Don't worry. It's normal. You'll remember everything when the sun rises in the morning. Then, I'll get to kiss you again."

"Yeah, right, Twinkle Toes! You've got to EARN a kiss from me. Whether or not I was hopped up on Spirit World weirdness, you are NOT going to kiss me, ever, again." Toph sternly objected.

"But, but" he stammered.

"I think I've had enough of you for the day." Toph snapped, pushing Aang to one side, grasping the reins and landing in a clearing.

"Goodnight." She uttered, jumping off Appa and concealing herself in an earth tent. But inside, she licked her lips, knowing that she may have momentarily forgotten, but it all came flooding back to her. She lay down, and closed her eyes, for about the tenth time that day, and send a small wisp of wind at Aang, whispering, "I'm not that easy." And with that, she went to sleep.

**So, whatdya think? Did you love it? Hate it? Still undecided? Well, I have to admit, I did make it a little confusing (unintentionally), and I'm sorry about that. Thanks for reading/reviewing, and just keep doing what you readers do!**


	8. Hiding Songbirds

**Hey there, readers! How'd you like that little chappy I threw together? Well, this is a new chapter called Hiding Songbirds and I really like it, and I hope you will too! Please, read and review, I really want to know if I'm on the right track with this. I love hearing your opinions and suggestions, and as you can tell, I incorporate as many of them as I can. Thanks to TophAang, ctin939 and Alapest for reviewing! Now, ladies and gents, I give you, CHAPTER EIGHT!**

**SOTU: Birdie, Be Free (I wrote the song myself for my little brother and I thought it would make a good addition to this chapter. It's the song in the chapter just so you know.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in this chapter. Except for maybe the Blue Jay. I'm still undecided on him. Well, I'm done with my little rant now, so, READ AWAY!**

Chapter 8: Hiding Songbirds

Katara laid down on a couch in the train allowing a servant to peel and pop shrimp into her mouth. She took the marinara sauce and asked the servant to make sure that she dunked the shrimp thoroughly into the sauce.

The servant wore heavy makeup- her face was painted black with streaks of red and gold around the eyes. She also wore a red kimono trimmed with black on the sleeves and end of the robe. Gold accents swirled across her collarbone and down a long v-neck that went about an inch above her bellybutton. A slit went up her thigh as well, seductively revealing her muscular quads.

The servant gestured at the sauce and the tip of a very small dual sided spin blade was accidentally flashed. She hid it quickly, hoping that Katara didn't notice. Luckily, she was buried in her pillow, crying some more.

The servant bowed and walked across the cart, swaying her hips with flare at the fiery man with the brave scar she had seen being placed on his face. He looked up at her and their golden eyes met. The sparkle in her eye confirmed his suspicions.

"Mai?" he mouthed.

She flicked out the corner of her trademark knife in response.

"Fire Lord, sir, if it is not too much to ask, could you help us with a situation in the kitchen?"

"Not a problem" he replied.

She led him to the kitchen and gently closed the door behind them.

"What are you doing here?!" he barked through his gritted teeth.

"Well, I figured that I knew Azula better than anyone else, so I could probably help."

"So you snuck onto a private train, put on a kimono, painted your face and called yourself a servant?"

"Yeah, that's pretty obvious."

"Oh, please, Mai, you only came along cause' you missed me."

"Sure I did, Zuko. I risked my life, sneaking on a train, and going to see the cannibalistic maniac that used to be my best friend, just to see my ex boyfriend that cheated on me. That sounds reasonable."

"Fine. But you're going to have to tell them yourself. Now, clean off your makeup and go outside."

"You're not the boss of me, Zuko. I can do whatever I want."

"Okay, good luck disobeying the Fire Lord's command and getting away with it."

"Fine."

"Fine."

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Toph sat in her rock tent, feeling the earth through her whole body, feeling Aang's every move. She opened a small crack in her tent to feel the sun when it came out.

Aang sat in a like position, drawing circles in the dirt, restless from the several naps he had during the day. Every hour or so, he would send a pebble of earth through the ground to Toph to see if she was awake. Every time, the pebble came back to him. He would whisper to her through the earth and air, sending little gusts of wind and sound vibrations to the ground. He would say random thoughts that crossed his mind, things like questions of the universe, or the future. He sent the pebble one more time, and with it, a melody he had remembered as a child.

_Fly, little birdie, like the wind._

_Fly away, but come back some day._

_Fly, little birdie, into the sun._

_Be free, be free, be free._

He sat and waited for a response, maybe a sarcastic comment, or a pebble in the eye, but he would enjoy it either way.

She pressed her ear into the ground and listened to the song as she caught the pebble in her rough, callused hand.

She responded.

_Fly, little birdie, on the currents of my song._

_Fly away, as you whistle along._

_Fly, little birdie, beautiful,_

_Be free, be free, be free._

He was shocked at her response. The second verse to the song, his favorite part, was sent through the earth to him. She knew it, and that surprised him. He sang another part.

_Fly, little birdie, my blue jay that I love._

_Fly away, with my love in your heart._

_Fly little birdie, don't you worry 'bout me._

_Be free, be free, be free._

She sang the final verse, teary eyed at her favorite song.

_Fly little birdie, my songbird._

_Fly away, my love._

_Fly my little birdie, I'll always love you._

_Be free, be free, be free!_

The sunlight peered at a sweet, innocent looking Toph, singing her favorite song, swaying side to side as she sang the lyrics through the dirt.

Aang had been out of his tent for a while, but Toph didn't know it. He began to circle her tent, singing the song. She couldn't find him, but she heard him clearly as he spun, little by little opening her tent like a flower in bloom, unveiling a hidden treasure that just needed a little bit of sunlight. When the tent was completely unfolded, he stood on one knee, a flower in one hand and a blue jay in the other. He sent the bird flying to Toph's shoulder, and when she realized that it was a bird, she held out her finger and allowed the bird to perch on it. Aang walked towards her and partly tamed her bedhead. He took off her headband, revealing a head of full, raven hair, beautiful in every way. He gently placed her bangs behind her ears, and slid the flower in there too. She giggled at the gesture and the bird began to whistle. She hummed along and was grinning from ear to ear, clearly in a great mood.

Aang couldn't help but smile, watching how happy he could make her. With every second they spent together, he would peel back a layer of her. For a whole year he had been unable to reach the center, but finally, finally, he had discovered her core. The innocence and purity of this girl seemed nothing like the girl he had known to flick mucus and spit and whine and yell, but they were one and the same. After prying open the clam, he finally found the pearl. And he was never letting go of it.

"How did you know that was my favorite song?" Toph asked.

"I didn't. I just knew that if it was my favorite song, you might like it too." He responded with a toothy smile.

"Well, Twinkles, you've got one heck of a voice. You should go on one of those radio shows where they have people compete to see who sings best."

"That's what one of the female Nomads used to tell me as a kid. She was the one that helped me get ready in the morning and stuff."

"Are you saying that you have some lady bathe you and dress you everyday?"

"Ummm…." He stammered, embarrassed as he often was when talking about Suri.

"Wow. I thought I was the only one!"

"The only one? You mean…"

"Yup. I had an attendant too. It's so embarrassing to talk about, so I just don't."

"Its Nomad tradition to have an attendant tend to you, but at least yours was of the same gender. Do you know what its like to have a woman bathe you ALL over?"

"Sorry, mine was a girl. But I'll bet you enjoyed it."

"What? That's just… I would…"

"No need to get your panties in a twist, I was just teasing."

"Hmph. Well, it's not just me. Maybe that's why you kissed Suki so passionately when she saved you" he joked.

"Hey, I thought she was someone else!"

An awkward silence fell between them as they tried to hold in their laughter, but soon enough, laughter broke out as they started to crack up.

Once they caught their breath, Aang accidentally said aloud what he meant to keep in his head.

"You look really beautiful, Toph, like the songbird from the song."

As soon as the words fell from his lips, he attempted to suck them back in, but what was said, was said.

"Songbird…" she pondered. "I can live with it."

"What?"

"Songbird. It's a nice nickname."

"Really? I didn't mean it as a nickname, or to say it out loud…" he trailed off.

"Well I like it. Something about it just makes me feel special, and, not, handicapped" she commented.

"Okay, so you want me to call you that from now on?"

"If you want to" she whispered, kind of embarrassed. She immediately wished she hadn't said anything.

"Alright then, Songbird, let's get going. We've still got a lot of ground to cover."

They both floated up on Appa and took off.

"Hey, Twinkles, could you pass me a can of that milk and some pie?"

"Sure." He reached into the basket and grabbed what she asked for.

"So do you want me to make it my special way?" he asked her.

"You mean warm it? Yes, please!" she exclaimed.

He smiled. She remembered.

**So, whatdya think? Too cheesy? Sappy? Emotional? Are you crying? I bet you are. Well, I have nothing against you, I'm crying too- I've been typing this all day and my fingers are KILLING ME! Hey, does anyone see that little thingy I put before questioning you and your tear ducts? You know, this thingy right here? ^ (first line). Has anyone noticed that I put that in every chapter? Well if you did, good for you! Here's a gold star *. So now, PLEASE review, I would really appreciate it! And plus, if you want me to put your name on the next chapter, I will, I swear on Bumi's grave that I will. But, you've gotta review! Trust me, you'll love the satisfaction of seeing your name up here and seeing your ideas put into my story. I can name at least 3 things that I got from you readers/reviewers. So please, if you know what's good for you, REVIEW! (Just so you know, I am not one of those super desperate authors even though it seems like I am, I just really like telling my mom that I am not wasting my time writing these stories all the time and at least SOMEONE reads them!) So, until then, my READERS! **


	9. Childish Challenges

**Hey there readers! What's up? What's down? What's to your left? What's to your right? All this and more on the next episode of TOTAL, DRAMA, REVENGE OF THE ISLAND! Sorry, I really like that show… ANYWHO… I made a REALLY long chapter for you guys and gals today, so read away!**

**SOTU: Whatever You Like (not the actual song 'Whatever You Like', just whatever song you like!) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters in this story, but I do own the computer I am typing the chapter from! Does that count? Hmm? Does it? Does it? DOES IT?!**

Chapter 9: Childish Challenges

It was now nighttime on the train, and the Gaang was hanging out, enjoying themselves in their pajamas and a warm tea in everyone's hand.

"Hey." Mai muttered from the shadows, her face now clean and shiny, but also clean of expression. She wore a maroon outfit with no emblem for the Fire Nation's war.

"Mai? When did you get on this train?" Sokka questioned.

"Oh, I figured you might need help with Azula and all, so I got on the train" she replied, giving a scowl that shot right through Katara. She sunk into the couch and hid her face behind her pillow, clearly terrified.

"Did you know that she's a cannibal now?" Sokka chirped, and quickly realized he had used the wrong tone.

"Yeah. It was kind of a secret I knew from a long time ago. When we'd have sleepovers as kids, she would nibble on her toes."

"EWWWW!" Suki screeched, grasping her piggies for protection.

"She tried biting one of mine in my sleep and I pricked her with the safety pin from my sleeping bag."

"So she DOES eat other people?" Suki whispered.

"Yeah, I guess…" Mai answered, once more emotionless.

They all stared at Mai with concern at her remark.

"What?" she barked.

"Zuko, what's wrong?" Katara asked, getting another glare from Mai.

"Has anyone seen Uncle?"

"Last I saw he was in the kitchen. He was making some tea or something." Sokka told him.

"Thanks." And with that, Zuko flashed into the kitchen.

He found his uncle shuffling his fingers through the various spices. He whispered some strange words in a random order that made no sense to Zuko. He hid behind some flour bags and listened.

"Boil, boil, water that flow. Boil, boil, mint leaves that blow. Boil, boil, drop, drop honey. Boil, boil, drop, drop lemon juice. Boil, boil, drop, drop, plop, plop, sugar. Boil, boil, drop, drop, plop, plop, white jade. Boil, boil, drop, drop, plop, plop, Lion Turtle Leaf. Then stir, then stir, then stir." Iroh recited, mixing in his ingredients to the boiling water. He saw the peeping golden eyes and shaggy raven hair, and pretended not to notice his nephew.

He stirred the mixture well and pulled out a small fire beetle from his left hand pocket.

"My nephew is like this here fire beetle. I try to shoo it away, but it still found its slick, sneaky little way into my pocket. I pretend its not there and then utilize it when I need it. So nephew, unless you would like to be utilized, I suggest that you stand up from behind that flour and make your way to the exit, and I will see you soon."

Zuko stood and left, obeying his Uncle's command.

When the door swung shut behind him, Iroh got back to work. He took a couple of drops of tea in a dropper and placed it in the fire bending bug's mouth. The bug shot little bursts of fire as he drank the remedy when suddenly no fire came out of his tiny little arms.

"Perfect." Iroh whispered as he poured the tea into a travel case and threw all his materials and measuring cups out the window. He labeled the tea "For Azula, my dearest niece" with a fine tipped pen and stuck it in a bag. He walked out of the kitchen smiling as he watched all the bending ability drain itself from the miniature beetle.

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Toph slurped her milk and poured some of it on her pie. She savored the warmth the milk gave her, being that it could get very cold up in the clouds. Nonetheless, she still shivered and immediately, Aang floated behind her and enveloped her in his warmth.

"Are you cold, Songbird?" he asked her.

"Kind of. You don't have to keep hugging me, Twinkles, I just need a blanket."

"Well, fortunately, we don't have any, so I'm just gonna stay here hugging you until you are warm and cozy. And, with your permission, I will stay hugging you until the end of time."

"What's the fun in that? We would be stuck in the Spirit World forever, and if we stayed hugging the whole time, we would never get to do the fun stuff!"

"The fun stuff?" he whispered, his face flushing at her thoughts.

"What is wrong with you?! I'm talking about training!" she exclaimed, not so much in a serious tone as a funny one, slapping him around in a playful manner.

"Oh, I thought you were talking about the stuff we did in the cave…"

"We've discussed this, Aang! I will not kiss you!"

"I wasn't talking about the wonderful kisses you planted on me. I was talking about THIS!" he shrieked as he snatched her stomach and tickled her like he did the day before.

"Oh, it's ON!" she screamed, pouncing on Aang to tickle him once more. He rolled onto her and she rolled back onto him. Aang countered her tickle attack and reached for her neck, one of her major tickle spots.

She giggled and rolled again, unaware that she was already at the end of Appa's saddle. She flew off the bison and Aang reached for her quickly, gripping her arm tightly.

"HELP ME, AANG!" she screamed.

"I won't let you fall!" he shouted back.

The terrified girl looked up with her blind eyes, knowing he would never let her go. Just as she felt him when she almost fell to her doom at war, she felt him once more, but this time, it was no illusion. He locked his feet into place on the saddle and pulled her up with every ounce of strength he possessed.

She allowed him to pull her up and then swung her other arm onto the saddle ledge to pull herself up. When she had finally been in the saddle safe once again, she clutched onto Aang tightly, still frightened from her fall a second before.

"Thank you." She whispered into his chest.

"No problem, my songbird." He whispered into her hair, giving her a light, gentle kiss at the top of her head.

"Aang?"

"Yes?"

"You know how during the final battle, I almost fell off of the airship?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"I saw you."

"What?"

"I saw you. When I almost fell, I realized that my life was going to end, right then and there, and I thought for a brief second what I would miss the most. And it was you. Your laugh, your charm, your kindness. It was what I thought I would miss the most. And I felt you, every inch of you, just now. Your figure in the light doesn't show me what you look like, but what molds you into what you are. Oh, great. I'm going all cheesy again, aren't I?"

"No, not at all, Songbird. I get it. I understand."

"I seriously need to get a grip on my emotions." She mumbled.

"Don't." he whispered.

"Don't what?"

"Don't hide your emotions. Let them flow through your tears, and your blood, and your body, and soul. If you keep them folded in between the layers of you, I will never get to know what kind of person you are, and I was just able to peel back all your layers today. So, please, Songbird. Don't."

"I don't know what layers you're talking about." She sternly remarked in denial. "I'm all core. I'm solid rock. I have nothing to hide."

"Oh, okay Miss Core. So, if you have nothing to hide, then tell me- what possessed you to kiss me in that cave?" he mischievously questioned.

"Well, I was upset. And distraught. And I… I wasn't thinking straight. "

"So you're saying that if you kissed me right now, you wouldn't feel a thing?"

"Umm…"

"So, the question comes up and the curtains come down. Of course. Typical Toph."

"I am no 'Typical Toph'! I am Toph, solid core, and I hide NOTHING!" she barked.

"Then kiss me."

"No."

"Fine then. I guess you're just afraid to be proven wrong."

"I am not!" she screamed.

"Kiss me."

She growled and snarled at him, but gave in to temptation and pressed her lips upon his.

She made sure that her lips touched every single centimeter of his so he wouldn't have anything to complain about. She made the taste of her breakfast swirled across his tongue and the rest of his mouth. She also added a couple of tricks of her own that she had picked up from observing Suki and Sokka one night in the tent that they shared.

After she made sure that the kiss was a hundred percent loving, true, and pure, she released with a smirk, knowing she had won. But when she noticed his ears wiggle like they do when she is intimate with him, she realized that she had in fact lost this battle, giving Aang the kiss he desired, and the satisfaction of knowing that she did have feelings for him.

He knew that she enjoyed the kiss just as much as him. He was not the one to gloat, so instead he planted another kiss on her, letting her know that he may have won, but he had admitted his feelings to her as well. When the sweet and gentle kiss was released, he placed her next to the basket of food and wrapped a blanket around her, heating her like she had requested before their little game. He glided to the reins and began to steer the bison towards the Temple they needed to get to in order to get out of the Spirit World.

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"Ah, Mai, so nice to see you!" Iroh exclaimed. "Is everyone's tea to their liking?"

"Oh yes, Uncle, this tea is simply delightful!" Suki chirped.

"Great tea!" Sokka answered.

"Who is that for?" Mai asked, pointing to the mug that peeped out of the bag he held.

"Oh, this is for Azula. It is her favorite tea. Lemon Mint."

"I see…" Zuko mumbled, suspicious of his White Jade ingredients and his plot to poison Azula.

"Well, Uncle, I think you should be heading to bed, now. I'll escort you." He continued. Zuko lead his uncle into his bedroom and whispered to him: "I hope you enjoy watching your own niece die." And with that, he walked away, bowing his head in shame at his supposed wise Uncle Iroh.

When he left his bedroom, he found everyone discussing Azula's cannibalistic issue and how scary it would be to be eaten by her. He often found himself wondering the same as he looked at his missing pinky toe when he slept.

When Azula and Zuko were just children, they would dare each other to do the strangest of things. One day, Zuko had taken it too far.

"_Come on, Zuko, I want a good dare! I've already made you eat duck poo and put ice down Uncle's pants. Now, make me do something dangerous."_

"_Okay… how about… you eat someone's toe for dinner! That would be disgusting, even worse than duck poo! Ew, I can't even think about it!"_

"_Fair enough. See you later, Zhu Zhu!" she peeped, skipping away merrily like most little girls do. _

_Zuko had found himself asleep on the couch, just minutes before dinner. His foot hurt immensely. When he looked down, his last piggy toe on his right foot was chopped clean off. He called for a nurse and was rushed to a hospital. They covered it with skin and considered getting a prosthetic but he decided to leave it how it was. He had put this upon himself after all. _

_When he had arrived at home later that evening, he was happy to see that they had not started dinner without him. They were having salad with broiled bull meat, one of his many favorites. He looked across the table at his sister's salad to see an unusually shaped crouton in the mix. When he realized what it was, he fainted. _

_Azula was clever enough to cover for her brother and claim that he had lost a lot of blood and was probably woozy from all the morphing. So they sent him off to bed immediately, and as he was being escorted, he heard a squirt and crunch from his little sister's mouth. The deed had been done. _

**So, whatdya think?! It grossed you out, I know it did. No, not the kissing! That was WONDERFUL! I'm talking about the piggy toe thing. EWW! Well, I have to put my creative outlet into something gory! Anyways, thanks to Mr. Atrocious, chokapikchoco, Alapest, raddaraddaradda2, DXROUGH and PandaCookies125401 for reviewing, and thanks to DXROUGH for his ideas! Okay, I've thanked a lot of people today, and if you want your name up here ^ then all you need to do is review! Until then, my readers!**


	10. The Face

**Hey there, everyone! Before I talk randomly, I have a VERY IMPORTANT announcement. Okay, so are you reading clearly? ARE YOU? ARE YOU! Okay, well, I would like to kindly ask you if you could read my other story, its called Through My Purple Eyes. Also, I am SO sorry I haven't updated in so long, I have been very busy, so I tried to write as much as I could in this chapter. So, here it is!**

**SOTU: Talk You Down by The Script (not recommended for this chapter)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters in this chapter. Therefore, you have no right to sue me. Okay? Okay. I hope we are clear on that. **

Chapter 10: The Face

Toph watched the light bounce off the clouds below her and into her eyes. She knew what they were, so she giggled as she tried to make shapes of the puffy formations. She observed the way the pillows grew and shrunk, when suddenly, she thought she saw the formation of a face. She yelped, tumbling back and falling on Aang.

"What happened? Are you okay?!" Aang shouted, grabbing Toph and shaking her around, trying to find out if she was hurt.

"I saw a face in the clouds. And it was, well, an evil looking face."

"Oh, my poor Songbird is scared. Its okay, I'm right here." He cooed, stroking her raven hair softly and comfortingly.

"I'm not scared. I'm just in a bit of shock, that's all." She defensively retorted.

"It's okay. You don't have to pretend in front of me."

"Is it getting dark? I can't see very well."

"Yeah, actually it is. We should land. I think I see some ground below us."

"Land quickly. I need to see. Now."

"Okay, okay, calm down, I'm landing."

The bison fell slowly to the ground, into an area quite familiar to Aang.

"Stay here. I think I should check the area. Keep quiet." Aang whispered.

She nodded subtly and lay back on the saddle, trying to imagine what the stars might look like.

He kissed her on her forehead and jumped off the bison.

He scanned the land, shuffling through his memories to try and remember where he had seen this place before. He went down on a knee and pounded the strong dirt, ground seeing if there was anyone around.

Aang walked around, and suddenly, he fell through a hole in the ground. The flashback played through his head, telling him exactly where he was.

"_Hello? I'm looking for a spirit named Koh?" _

Just listening to himself say that one line made him realize what danger he was truly in. He shot up through the hole keeping his face still as he shouted "Appa, Yip Yip!"

The Sky Bison flew up, taking Toph away and as she realized she was in the air, she screamed "AANG!"

"It's Koh. Get out of here. Show no emotion until you are far away from here. I will meet you there."

"Stay safe, Aang." She shouted, and Appa was gone.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Avatar, back for his revenge." Koh hissed.

"I never wanted revenge." He said to the porcelain masked creature.

"Are you sure about that? Maybe I might be able to give you some motivation." Koh teased, and changing his face, Aang stared at him blankly, until suddenly he saw his Ummi.

He suddenly panicked internally, making sure not to show any emotion. He was staring his love right in the face.

"How did you get her? What did you do to her?"Aang sternly questioned.

"I have my ways." Koh whispered, crawling to the other side of Aang.

"I could do the same to you if you'd like." He offered, tormenting the Avatar.

"Listen, Koh, I want no troubles with you. I'm stuck in the Spirit World already as it is."

"Ah, so you're not here on a meditation vacation?"

"Koh, I just ended a 101 year old war. Do you really think I'm in the mood to see you?" He asked, trying to hide the sarcasm in his comment.

He noticed that there was something different about Toph's face. He looked closer, and he did not find her little birthmark behind her ear.

"Okay, I'll tell you what. If I can go away safely, you get to keep my love's face. Do we have a deal?"

"A deal? What's the fun in a _deal?_ I can't torment you with a deal. How about I just give her face back, and take your face instead?"

"No thanks. I'm good." He retorted, slowly walking away.

"But what will she think of you? She probably hates you right now because you love yourself more than her!"

"That's actually quite accurate. I do love myself more than I love her." He calmly told the Spirit, pointing at her face.

"So, you don't care that she'll never see you again?"

Aang was right at the exit of the cavern, and he was silent for a while, pretending to contemplate Koh's offer. He tried one of Toph's clever tricks, and observed his being. Aang noticed that the girl's face had a collar that was partly metal.

With a slight shift of his foot, the collar started choking the ancient Spirit, and Aang walked away, letting Koh in on his little secret.

"She never will see me, and if you really had her, you wouldn't be able to see me." And with that, he clicked his glider and flew away.

Fortunately, Koh was too busy with his collar to notice the snide smirk Aang swept across his face.

He whistled the first chorus of the birdie song and heard a response in an island about a mile in the distance. He shot through the sky and landed smoothly on the earth.

"AANG!" Toph screamed, swinging her arms around him in a strong embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.

She released, and they were face to face, noses almost touching, and they breathed deeply for a second, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Toph pressed her lips on his, and although he was surprised, he pressed back, letting her lean into him, and savoring every second of their first true kiss, where they both were expressing their love for eachother, and not under some love spell, or driven by the competitive side of Toph, they were really kissing, and they both knew how real it was.

Eventually, they stopped, and laid on Appa's saddle, staring at the sky.

"I brought you something." Aang whispered.

"What could you have gotten in the cavern of the Face Stealer that could interest me?" Toph teased.

"Well, I found a couple of pieces of his shed skin."

"Eww, gross!" she squirmed.

"No, no, it's not bad, I swear! I cleaned it really well. I've heard it has great properties."

"Like what?" Toph asked.

"I think it would be better if I just showed you." He sat up, pulling her up with him. He slid a pair of spectacles made of the monster's skin on her face. The frame was made of vines from the swamp that he used to try swamp bending every once in a while. The lenses were square and shaped her face well.

"How is this possible? I can see the sky at night! What are those twinkly thingies? And that giant white sun? Oh, Aang, these are amazing! Thank you." She exclaimed, kissing him softly on the cheek.

"You're very welcome, my lovely Songbird. Now, you see, those twinkly thingies are stars. And that giant white sun? It's not a sun. It's called the moon."

"Sometimes, if you connect the stars, they make really cool shapes. Look, you see that right there?" he asked, pointing at a constellation. "That's called the Boarcupine constellation. And that one there? That's the Bear constellation."

"That one looks like The Hippo and the Duke!" Toph shouted, pointing to another constellation.

They both started laughing, and making up crazy constellations that looked like their friends, family, and each other. They snuggled on Appa's saddle, and for the first time, Toph felt like she could really find love after all.

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Katara, Suki, Sokka and Zuko were already asleep. All that remained was Mai, and she planned to get her revenge on Katara. She did the classics, the shaving cream on the face, the moustache, and the wet the bed technique. She then did one of her tricks she had been dying to actually do. She hopped on Katara's dresser and jumped to grab the industrially strong pipes. She swung hard and wrapped her ankles around them. Ready in position, she was laying on the two parallel and one intersecting pipes. Her arms free, she grabbed her blades and began to throw them at her. When she finished, they were surrounding her, trapping her on the bed, the knives around her head, arms and legs, framing her entire body. Mai began to giggle, one of those things that she rarely ever did. She sung on the pipes like monkey bars and climbed out of the room silently.

She then walked over to Zuko's room, and crawled on top of him. She threw her lips onto his, waking him up in one of the best ways. He opened his eyes, startled, somewhat expecting Katara rather than Mai.

"What is this? I thought you were done with me."

"Did you really think that tramp was going to stop me from getting to you? Please, I can handle her. I'm not done with you yet."

She got off the bed, quietly tiptoeing to the door and locking it.

"Does this mean that you forgive me?" he asked her after kissing her for a few minutes.

"I never blamed you in the first place" she whispered, smiling.

"I'm glad." He smiled too, cradling Mai in his arms.

**So, whatdya think? It was much less disgusting than that last chapter, huh? Again, I am SOOOOO sorry for not updating. I was very busy, and I couldn't find an open space of free time. Well, I really hope that you liked this chapter, and I will try to post a bunch this weekend so that then you can read those until next weekend. I think I'm going to try to do 3 chapters a week. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Again, PLEASE read my other story, its called Through My Purple Eyes! Okay, I believe that's all for today. So, orevoi! **


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